


Impish Animator

by Gears112



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Alternate Universe, Boy and his Inky Monster, Gen, Magical Accidents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-08-16
Packaged: 2018-12-02 03:14:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11500599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gears112/pseuds/Gears112
Summary: Demonically Charged Magic Ink can do the strangest of things, from bring cartoons to life, to changing an old animator to a child with no knowledge of what happened to the creations he helped create. Luckily there seems to be at least one being there who wants to get outta there as well. AU that plays with the idea of a Kid!Henry. Elements of Inky Depths Below are sprinkled throughout, but it's not necessary to read that in order to under this story.





	1. Sammy Found a Little Lamb

**Impish Animator**

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 1: Sammy Found a Little Lamb  


"Sheep, sheep…." The Music Director, Sammy Lawrence, sung in a garbled low voice. "Where are you my sh-" He paused as he heard sniffling of a small child. "Hmm?" Sammy slugged his way over to the sound, his feet sticking to the floor. That was the one thing he was most annoyed with being stuck in this inky abyss; he couldn't be as fast as the Searchers, nor was he as quiet as someone like the Angel. After a few minutes, he got to the source of the sound and had to pause at the scene he was witnessing; a small child, probably no older than 5 years old was best guess based on the child’s size, was sniffling and rubbing his eyes as two Searchers were trying to cheer the child up. Trying being the key word as the Searchers were far from 'child-friendly' in appearance as possible. Sammy let out a grunt, grabbing everyone's attention. The boy gasped in surprise as the Searchers' 'explained' to Sammy what had happened through almost random hand motions; they were looking for the intruder when they found the small child huddled in a corner, crying to himself. "I see…" If Sammy's face was still visible, it would be seen that he was furrowing his brows as he thought about what he should do; it seemed tactless to sacrifice a child, and he doubted that would be get him noticed in a positive way, and frankly, that was the last thing he needed. He sighed and motioned the Searchers to back up as he got to one knee. "Child, what compels you to come down and visit me?" Sammy bit back a sigh as the child blinked slowly, clearly not understanding that. "Why are you here?"

"Don't know." Well that was certainly helpful. Sammy groaned and looked back at the Searchers, who made a shrugging motion.

"How did you get down here?"

"Don't know."

"Alright...let's see…Where are your parents?"

"D-Don't know..." 

"What is your name then?" If the kid answered 'Don't Know' to that, Sammy might've had just called it a night and try and drown the memory of seeing the kid in Bacon Soup.

"H-Henry Ozell…" Sammy raised an eyebrow, the name was familiar but he couldn't place where he had heard the name before. "What's yours?"

 "I am a prophet of Our Lord,"

 "That's a weird name." The boy interrupted quietly and Sammy sighed.

 "Well, it's merely a title...my name is Sammy Law-"

 "Oh!" The boy looked excited. "You're the guy in the radios!" Sammy blinked slowly, confused; he didn't remember recording anything recently. "I remember listening to the ones I found around here...the one where the guy talked about missing his keys was funny." He giggled and Sammy sighed; out of all the memories he hadn't lost or what hadn't been twisted and warped by the ink, the ones with the janitor, an obnoxious Boston man named Wally Franks, was the one that stayed clear in his mind. "And that Misses Campbell sounded nice too…" The boy sighed softly, looking away as there was creaking and crawling upstairs. His Savior was walking up there, perhaps looking for the intruder as well. Sammy made a hmph sound; he wanted to have his savior notice him and free him from this inky abyss, but he knew that he shouldn't leave this child to fend for himself down here; even if the Searchers wouldn't harm him, Sammy doubted that the kid would be so lucky with the other dangers of the studios. The Music Director sighed in defeat, knowing full well he wasn’t in a winning situation.

 "Henry," The boy looked at him. "I want you to come with me, alright? I don't want you to get hurt...the building isn't as safe as it should be." The boy nodded slowly before they heard footsteps. The boy gasped and hid behind Sammy, whose face fell at the sight of the star of 'Sheep Song'; Boris the wolf, casually eating the Bacon Soup Sammy was planning on using to appease his Lord. The wolf slowly stopped slurping his soup as he looked at Sammy and the Searchers before seeing the young boy. His ears perked up and his tail began to wag; excitement an understatement.

 "A kid!" He exclaimed, coming over. "Hiya, sport! I'm Boris the Wolf-though I might be part dog-no one really knows honestly-but I'm really good at the clarinet, are you good at the clarinet? Well I'm also good at…" Boris kept going on excitedly, as Sammy 'rolled' his eyes; this wolf companion to his Lord was way too excitable and upbeat, considering the situations. Sammy looked at Henry, who definitely nervous about the wolf.

"Do not worry about Lord Boris," Sammy said. "He just gets like this sometimes." Boris stopped mid-sentence and looked at Sammy, pouting.

 "Will ya stop calling me Lord Boris? It sounds weird. Just plain ol' Boris is fine." Sammy made a grunt.

 "I am not worthy of that casualness, Lord Boris." The wolf groaned and rolled his eyes, earning a small smile from the boy. "But that is of no matter at this moment; this child-"

 "Henry."

 "Henry, has no idea how he got down here…and I do not believe it would be safe to have him here...at least till the traitor and the new intruder are taken care of."

 "Traitor? What's that? Is it like a waiter?" Sammy was momentarily grateful that this inky abyss gave him a perfect 'poker face' as Wally had once mentioned a coworker of theirs had, as he turned back to the boy, who was wiping his dark brown hair out of his eyes.

 "Not...exactly…." Sammy started before they heard crawling and the low growling of his lord above. "My Lord! He is near!" Boris rolled his eyes in annoyance as Henry looked a mixed between terrified and confused as the Music Director looked up at the ceiling. "I hear him crawling above! Soon, he will grace us with his presence and love-"

 "Sammy, the kid." Sammy was snapped out of his 'preaching' and looked at Boris, who pointed to a stunned Henry, and the Music Director cursed silently; again he had lost control, slipping and giving into the 'Prophet', a mockery of himself is what he was sure it was, but at the same time, the voice was his and power as this Prophet had it was tantalizing and his Lord seemed to approve of him more as the Prophet then as just as Sammy. He looked away from the boy, mumbling an apology.

 "Mr. S-Sammy?" Henry asked slowly, touching the man's shoulder; the warmth of the boy's hand was a stark contrast compared to the inky form he had. "A-Are you ok?"

 "Don't worry kiddo," Boris said, offering his hand to Sammy, helping him up before helping Henry. "Sometimes Sammy gets like that...especially when he hears Bendy." Henry made a face and looked at the two warily. "Um...you know Bendy, right?"

 "Well, yeah," The boy said slowly, crossing his arms, obviously a bit uncomfortable with the two. "I made him after all..."

 .

* * *

 

.

_Why is it worse?!" Henry barely heard his father's voice as he faded in and out. "You said it was just a fever!" Henry wanted to move but only felt a numbing aching sensation across his body. Even breathing was a struggle for the boy, forcing him to just lay and listen in confusion.  
_

_"I know what I had said...symptoms are very similar to...fever, so it's nearly impossible...catch it before...this point..." Henry was curious about what the other voice was talking about, but felt himself slipping back into unconsciousness. He managed to only hear one final bit of the conversation before it went to black. "I know it's difficult to witness….but the….rates of….polio are not as…"  
_


	2. Bendy the Eavesdropping Demon

  **Impish Animator**

_ A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story _

Chapter 2: Bendy the Eavesdropping Demon

Bendy was getting irritated; where the hell had that old man gone?! He sloshed down the steps in irritation, wondering how he managed to outrun him; the old man wasn't that fast! Bendy paused as he heard Sammy and Boris.

"Are you sure kiddo?"

"Child, that can't-"

"My name is Henry!" A small child's voice snapped back, peaking the demon's interest; he hadn't heard a child's voice in so long and he wasn’t going to miss this chance! He hurried toward the sounds.

"...Henry. You couldn't have created Our Lord."

"He's not a lord, he's a dem-ca-I mean cat!" There was a snort from Bendy as the child chuckled nervously. "He's a cat…n-not a demon..."

"Uh huh." Sammy didn't sound impressed or convinced.

"Why would you think Bendy's a cat and not a demon?" Boris asked gently as Bendy poked his head around the corner, to see what the kid looked like, the boy deciding his shoes were suddenly very interesting as Boris knelt to be at the kid's eye level. "It's ok, we're not going to judge you." Sammy made a scoffing noise and Boris flicked the back of the former Music Director's knee, causing the man to stumble and bit back a curse. Bendy quietly snickered, glad his friend was back to his goofy no nonsense attitude as the boy sighed and ran his hand through his brown hair, the demon noting that the boy was rather short and skinny.

"Well...I don't want to get in trouble, especially with Father Lawrence…" Sammy stopped and looked at the boy like he was the receiving end of a joy buzzer, but Boris spoke up before he could press further.

"Is that your dad?" Henry shook his head quickly.

"No, he's a preacher...he just moved into the town…My father doesn't like him…"

"Why?"

"He says that Father Lawrence doesn't have a sense of humor and is too high strung…" Henry looked at the wolf and Sammy. "And he also doesn't like it when Father Lawrence doesn't let me do the things the other kids do."

"W-Why?" Bendy noticed that Sammy's voice sounded shaky, almost as if he was nervous, which was confusing for the dancing demon; Sammy was always confident, even it borderlined cocky and inflated. Henry sighed and looked away, Boris gently patted the boy's shoulder.

"Father Lawrence says that I'm a danger to the other kids...cause I had gotten really sick…" He said quietly and Bendy gasped; what kind of monster wouldn't let a kid play with his friends?! Bendy growled; if he ever saw this 'Father Lawrence' fella, he'd give him the what-for. "And he doesn't like I that I ask too many questions about his sermons…I mean I only ask him, cause I don't get it! And I only ask after church is done!" Henry rubbed his eyes. "I don't know why he doesn't like me…or calls me a bad influence...o-or a-" Henry didn’t even finish that as he tried to keep his composure.

"Henry," Boris said softly, his heart breaking for the small child as Bendy decided he needed to help the kid.

"I think that guy's a few screws loose!" Bendy exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention. Henry gasped in shock as Sammy would've lit up if his face wasn't covered in ink.

"M-My Lord!" Sammy fell to his knees and bowed. Bendy resisted rolling his eyes; his prophet was a tad over dramatic, even if he was the best ‘yes-man’.

"Good to see you too, Sammy." Bendy said before turning his focus to Boris. "Anyways! So kid-Wait, where'd he go?!" Boris turned and saw that while Bendy had looked at Sammy, Henry had bolted, running down the hall. "Oh no! We need to catch him!" Bendy turned to Sammy. "You stay put in case he comes back!"

"Whatever you desire my Lord." Bendy looked at Boris, who shrugged, before the two ink toons ran off down a direction, hoping to find the kid.

.

* * *

 

_. _

_ "Thank you so much for watching him for me while David and I head to town." The older woman said as Henry's mother chuckled nervously at the annoyed death glare she was getting from the woman's husband. _

_ "It's not a problem...it's the least we can do…" _

_ "And this~" Henry said as he showed the younger boy the parlour, as their mothers finished talking. "Oh! Father, are you going to play?" Henry's father looked up from the piano keys he was wiping down and smiled at the two boys. _

_ "I suppose I could, have a seat boys." Henry nearly dragged the other boy to a bench and excitedly sat down. _

_ "You don't have music sheets?" The other boy asked curiously as Henry's father positioned himself at the piano bench. _

_ "Don't need 'em." The man said simply, with a smile on his face. "When you've been playing as long as I have, it's just natural." He chuckled. "And spilled drinks tend to ruin music sheets and those are definitely not cheap." The boy looked at Henry, confusion apparent on his face, before looking back at the man, who shrugged. "My father used to help run a local tavern, and, your mother will attest to this Henry, since I am not as graceful in the bar as hoped, I helped by playing the piano for the ladies." The boy furrowed his brows. _

_ "Father says that those places are tools of the devil." Henry saw his father look mildly irritated before sighing. _

_ "True, sometimes there's some….reprehensible things that happen in a place where there's drinking, but for the most part, it was a place to celebrate and enjoy what life's for, not teaching misery and claiming it’s better." He saw the confusion in the boy's face before chuckling. "Let me show you!" He turned to the piano and within moments, his fingers flew across the keys, creating melodies that the boy had never heard before. The boy watched in awe as it seemed the man's fingers danced across the keys, creating an upbeat and lively tune, a stark contrast to the hymns and monotone songs that the choir and organ player did during his father's sermons. The boy stole a glance at Henry, the other boy bobbing his head in time and a proud smile plastered on his face before looking back at the man; to think that music could do that, bring happiness and joy to people, instead of having to listen to his father and beg and say or do anything to be 'saved' or noticed by the Lord _

_ "I want to do that…" The boy managed out quietly as he watched the man continue to play. _

.

* * *

 

.

Henry rounded a corner, panting heavily as he hoped that he lost whatever that horned thing was. This place was a madhouse and he just wanted to go home. Unfortunately, Henry wasn't looking and ran into a wet, inky wall. He made a grunt and tumbled back, landing in a small pile of ink with a wet splash.

"Offph!" He managed out before looking at what he ran into and made a quite startled gasp; it definitely wasn't a wall as the mass of ink shifted and turned to see what hit him.

" **WhAt wAs tHaT?** " The creature sounded like it was underwater and Henry saw that it almost look sort of human, or some drawing of a human being, if the person was the size of bear. Henry was frozen in place as he tried to process was happening in front of him. " **hUh, yOu dIDn'T GEt liKe eVEryOnE ElSe…** "

"W-What?"


	3. A Partnership Forms

**Impish Animator**

_ A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story _

Chapter 3: A Partnership Forms

" **...WhO arE yOu?** "

"H-Henry…" The boy managed to squeak out as the ink creature came closer to him. The boy shut his eyes, expecting to be smashed liked a bug, before he heard a soft snort. Henry peeked an eye open curiously.

" **DoN'T WoRrY, i WoN't hUrT ya...I'm jUsT tRyInG to gEt A beTteR lOOk at yOu; iT'S hARd tO SeE…** " The creature made a gesturing motion to his face. " **YoU sEEm fAmIlIar….bUt AWfUlly sHoRTer to bE tHe HeNRY I kNow...ANd tHE liGHtinG's God awful hErE…** " Henry opened both of his eyes, grateful he wasn't going to be dead anytime soon, but he was still nervous. " **NAme'S WaLlY, by tHe wAY…** " Henry looked at the inky creature.

"You recorded some of the radios?" Henry asked and the creature made a bobbing motion that Henry took to mean a nod. "Well...I can see why you lost your keys…" Wally made a chuckle, though it sounded garbled and like he was blowing bubbles.

" **hEH...yEaH, LuCKIlY SAmMy hASN't fOuND oUt yET….** " Wally made a sighing sound.

"You sure he went this way, Boris Buddy?!" Henry paled as he heard that large horned creature. Wally looked between Henry and where the sound was coming from.

"I'm positive! My sniffer doesn't lie!" Wally looked again at Henry, and saw the kid trembling before spotting something that could help him out.

" **HeNRY, I'mA hElP yA….** " Wally grabbed the object, which was a large box, and placed it over Henry. " **YoU Ok, iN tHErE?** "

"It's a little small," Henry admitted after he realized what Wally was doing. "But I'm ok!" Wally made the bobbing motion again and tried to hide the box as Bendy and Boris rounded the corner.

"He's here-huh?!" Boris exclaimed. "That's funny, I smelt him down this-a way...but now, nothing…" Bendy looked at Boris before looking at Wally.

"Hey, you've seen a little kid?" Wally shook his head, ink droplets falling over the place. Bendy frowned, as if he didn't buy it. "Are you sure?" Wally nodded. "...Hmph…"

"Let's try the other way," Boris said quickly, sensing that Bendy's mood was souring fast. "M-Maybe we can even see if Alice has seen the kid too!" Bendy nodded and the two were then gone. After a few moments, Wally lifted up the box.

" **yoU OK, HeNRY?** "

"Y-Yeah, I'm ok." The boy said, looking up at Wally as he stretched his legs before looking around. "Thank you Mr. Wally…I better find a way out of here…" Wally made a bemused grunt.

" **gOoD luCK,** " Henry made a face of confusion. " **No OnE hAs bEeN aBlE to gEt OUTTA hErE in 30 YeArs….** "

"Whoa...why is that?" Wally made a shrugging motion.

" **sOMeThINg thAt DReW dId wItH...iNfERnaL iNk MaChiNe…** " Henry furrowed his brows; he wasn't sure, but something about an 'ink machine' made him feel uneasy before looking up at Wally.

"Maybe we can get out together!" Wally titled his head to one side as Henry continued. "I-I mean, you'd be able to reach the tall stuff and I can get into the tiny spaces! A-And maybe we can turn that machine off and then it'll be a cakewalk to leave!" Henry looked up at Wally hopefully, really not wanting to be by himself in the studio and Wally had to admit, it would be a crime to tell the innocent little kid it was hopeless to try and find a way out. Besides, Wally figured, it would be a nice change of pace than being stuck in this particular hallway.

" **CaN't ARguE wiTH thAt lOgIc…** " Wally chuckled as Henry's eyes lit up with relief. " **LeAD tHe wAy…** " As the two walked, Henry began to talk to Wally about himself, what he liked to do, his drawings (though he was careful to not mention Bendy to avoid more confusion), and other things, much to the bemusement of Wally. " **YoU'Re OnE inTeReStiNG kId, tHaT's fOr sURe….** "

.

* * *

 

.

"Alice?" Boris asked sheepishly as he poked his head into the angel's 'room'. Only Boris was sort of welcomed in the angel's room, probably because he wasn't dripping ink every time he walked longer than a few feet. "Me and Bendy wanted to ask you something."

"What is it Boris?" The melodious voice of the angel asked gently, her voice no louder than a whisper.

"Uh, we were wondering if you saw a little kid around here? He's in the studio; Bendy kinda gave him a bit of a spook earlier."

"Hey!" Bendy exclaimed. "I did not! It was probably Sammy's fault." Boris looked at Bendy.

"You seriously enjoy having a prophet willing to do anything for you way too much."

"It has it's perks." Boris rolled his eyes as Alice made a small sound like a hum, grabbing their attention.

"I have not seen any children around here…." She said after a few moments before there was the sound of someone getting up. "But I would love to help look for him, if you boys would like the help." Bendy beamed.

"Of course we'd love your help Miss Al! It'll be just like old times!"

.

* * *

 

.

_ Wally spat as he felt the inky bile leave his throat, looking in disgust at the results of another round of coughing, just like the rest of the staff of Sillyvision, though for him he wasn't as bad off as say Sammy or other members of the Music Department, who were at the point at living in the infirmary as they struggled with whatever this bug was going around. _

_ "This can't be the flu…can it?" Wally grumbled before letting out a sigh as he got to the 'office' Henry had before the man had left, his briefcase in the same place the animator had placed it in the morning of the last day he worked, faint memories of the last time he had seen the former animator playing out in his mind.; he was helping the man clean one of the projectors when one of the Music Department, a weasley looking boy by the name of Mark, had come over saying Joey needed to talk to Henry as soon a possible. Wally furrowed his brows as he tried to remember the rest of what happened, but only got remembered that there was yelling loud enough for the staff to stop what they were doing before there was a loud smacking sound and a few minutes later, Henry had walked out of the studio, the unfamiliar look of anger and coldness on his face as he left. "Ah man, he had the right idea getting outta here…" _

_ "Oh Wally?" Wally snapped out of his thoughts and turned to see Susie. "Could you come help me with something? Joey wanted to meet me in his office, but I want to make sure someone’s with me in case another fainting spell hits..." Wally felt an uneasy feeling grow in his stomach, but he chalked it up to the bug that was going around. _

_ "Sure, Susie, right behind ya.” _


	4. Henry's a Sweetie

**Impish Animator**

_ A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story _

Chapter 4: Henry's a Sweetie

"Man, why does this building have so many locked doors?" Henry huffed as he and Wally walked up the flooded stairs, Wally behind Henry, making sure the young boy didn't slip on the stairs.

" **nO clUE, HeNrY aNd joEY sAid tHat THis wAs the bESt plAce tHEy fOuND…** " Wally said before sighing. " **HenRy, dON't cha thINk tHaT it mIGht bE bEtTer if wE tRIed to drAIn the flOOd?** " The boy looked at Wally, as if he didn't believe what the inky creature said.

"That would take too long, and besides, that's just gonna be a bunch of running around for nothin'." Wally didn't have a reaction, even if his face wasn't covered in ink.

" **It wOuLd BE saFeR fOr yOu…** " Henry made a pfft sound.

"But you're here! And besides-" With a grunt, Henry made it to the top step. "I'm up!" Wally chuckled, though it sounded a bit like gurgling, at the boy's beaming face as he 'helped' Wally up the last few steps. "Ok...what's up here?"

" **ANiMAtInG DePARtmeNT.** " Wally said simply, earning Henry's confused look.

"Ani-what?"

" **MaKInG CaRToOns…** " Henry's facial expression didn't change. " **YoU knOW, lIKe DiSNEy'S MouSE sHoRTs or tHOse WARNer BrOTHers ShoRTs?** "

"Who?" Wow the kid had to be pretty damn sheltered, which didn't mesh with what the kid had been telling him earlier. "Mr. Wally, you're not making any sense." Wally shook his head and sighed before there was a low humming sound, like someone was warming up to sing. "Someone's singing?"

" **WhAt iN tHe…** " Wally started to say, but trailed off, his thoughts beginning to cloud, a soothing familiar-yet unfamiliar-voice whispering and telling him it would all be fine if he just let it all go and embrace the sinking feeling. He tried to resist giving into the thoughts of letting it all go but everything felt heavy and sluggish; it would just be easier to give in, to embrace the ink-

"M-Mr. Wally?" Wally was snatched from the fog as he felt an almost surprising warm sensation against his side; Henry, placing his hand on Wally, concerned obvious in his voice and his eyes. Wally shook his head, dispelling the rest of the foreign thoughts. "A-Are you ok?"

" **Yyy-YEah...S-SoRRy aBOut tHaT…** " Henry didn't look convinced.

"You got all bubbly and drippy...like you were melting…" Had Wally's face been visible, there would've been furrowed brows. "And you were mumbling something...it kinda sounded like those thing that had me cornered before Sammy found me…" Wally made an uneasy gulp; he knew exactly what the Searchers sounded and look like, and the idea he was slipping to that insanity was admittedly frightening for the janitor.

" **gEEz, dAmN…** " Wally made the motion of rubbing the bridge of his nose, though there was nothing but ink, frustrating the janitor as Henry looked around for something for his friend. Wally heard the boy gasp excitedly and he saw the boy run over to one of the desks before running back, holding a cap that Wally recognized as his hat. " **mY HAt? WoNDEr hOw tHAt gOt tHERe...** "

"My father had one of these! He said that when I started errand running I'd be able to wear one too!" Henry's face fell as he lowered the hat. "Of course that was before I got really sick...and a lot of things had to go away so I didn't get sicker…"

" **sIcK?** " Wally asked, his heart breaking as he saw the boy rub at his eyes, smudging ink on his face. " **HeNRy…** " The boy looked up at Wally. " **YOu kNOw WhAT? It'S YoURs nOw.** " Wally gently took his hat and plopped it on the small child, the hat nearly covering his eyes. Wally couldn't help but chuckle as the boy pushed up the hat and looked up at Wally, his eyes bright and full of awe.

"R-Really?" Wally made the bopping motion to nod. "Oh thank you thank you thank you Mr. Wally!" Wally smiled, grateful he managed to cheer the boy up, though he was curious about what the kid had meant by 'sick'. The kid didn't look like how everyone else did when this started, and even with all the inky substance, and the kid was definitely not acting like he had been sick enough for things to be thrown out in concern of him getting sicker. "Oh! The humming stopped…" Henry looked around for a moment before looking back up at Wally. "Should we-"

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Wally felt a chill as a voice caught the two's attention; in front of the two was Alice Angel, though much taller than how she was in the cartoons, her figure a strange mashup of human and cartoon, smirk on her toonish face. "You must be the kid Bendy and Boris were talking about, glad to see you're ok," Henry furrowed his brows, he couldn't place it, but there was something about this inky angel looking lady that made him uneasy.

" **StEP aSIdE, CaMpBEll…** " Wally growled and the toonish looking woman rolled her eyes, as if she didn't buy the threat from Wally.

"It's Alice Angel, Wally. Susie's not here anymore,"

.

* * *

 

.

_ "Come on sport, it's not so bad…" _

_ "I look silly." Henry's father chuckled softly as the boy huffed, large glasses barely staying on his face. _

_ "Hey, doctor said-" _

_ "The other doctor also said I wouldn't ever be able to walk again, but I showed him!" Henry's father chuckled before ruffling his son's hair. _

_ "Well, you've got a point there bucko, but at least people won't mistake you for me anymore!" His father winked at him and the boy nodded slowly. Henry's father frowned. "Something else bothering Henry?" The older man frowned before sighing. "It's about Lawrence and Samuel, isn't it?" Henry whimpered softly as he remembered what happened earlier; he knew something was off when Samuel kept avoiding him. He had finally managed to catch Samuel after school and asked him what was wrong, before Samuel had snapped at him, telling Henry to leave him alone because he didn’t want to be associated with a crippled sick kid, among some other things, but Henry didn’t remember or cared to; all he remembered was that he managed to run home as fast as he could and locked himself in his room, scribbling the character he still hadn’t given a name yet trying to distract himself. His father came in a few minutes later and here they were, downstairs in the parlor with Henry reluctantly wearing his glasses. _

_ "I thought he was my friend…" Henry pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around him. His father rubbed his back gently. "He doesn't even like his father...s-so why would act like that me…in front of everyone…it's not fair…" _

_ "I know, son, it's not fair…" His father sighed softly. “Life hardly is…” _

_ "Henry?" The two looked up at Henry's mother, a boy nervously standing behind her. "Joey came to see you…" Henry nodded warily; he knew Joey from school, the boy often being by himself or with the principal. He also knew that the other kids avoided Joey as best they could, though Henry himself didn't understand why; sure, Joey didn't seem to talk much, but when he had seen Henry's drawing, he seemed to be interested in them. Henry pushed up the glasses as his mother allowed Joey to go ahead of her. _

_ "I came to see if you were ok…" Henry shrugged absently. "And I like the glasses…" Henry's father elbowed his son playfully. _

_ "See, I told ya it was no big deal!" Henry made a face at his father, who chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "How about you two go hang out while I help your mother with dinner. Perhaps you can show him your drawings of that cat-thing you draw a lot." Henry lit up with the idea and hopped off his seat. _

_ "Come on Joey! You'll like him, I promise!" Joey chuckled as he was dragged by the smaller boy to his room to show off his drawings. _

* * *

 

_ “Drew...what the hell is all of this?!” Wally exclaimed as he entered the office, ritualist symbols scrawled on the wall and papers scattered, but the thing that made Wally pale was that his boss was smiling like nothing was wrong with the situation. _

_ “I’ve found a solution!” Joey said cheerfully and Susie looked around in horror. _

_ “J-Joey Drew...what’s going on? This looks like madness!” _

_ “Madness?” Joey chuckled. “Susie, there is no madness here, only dreams coming true.” He looked at Wally, as if just noticing him. “Ah, Susie, you brought Wally? I have never tried it with two people...but if it works…” _

_ “What works?!” Wally exclaimed as Joey shook his head. _

_ “No, no, no, I should not risk it, not yet,” As Joey mumbled aloud, Wally took Susie’s shoulders. _

_ “We need to get outta here.” He whispered, Susie nodding in agreement. The two started to walk backwards before Joey looked up. “Ah, Sammy, there you are I was wondering where you were.” Wally turned to see the music director before he was met with a wooden board, knocking him out cold.  _


	5. Devil in Disguise

**Impish Animator**

_ A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story _

Chapter 5: Devil in Disguise

Henry was terrified, as he was standing in between Wally and this strange woman, who obviously didn't like each other. The woman looked at him and smiled, though Henry didn't feel that comforted by it.

"Why don't you come with me?" She cooed, holding out her hand and Henry shook his head.

"Um, no thank you ma'am...me and Wally are planning to leave this place." The angel raised an eyebrow.

"Leave? Why would you ever want to leave here?" Wally leaned over Henry.

" **sTop sTIckING yOuR nOSe in PeOPle'S BuSINEss.** " Wally stated. " **aNd bEsIdeS, thIs iSn'T tHe mOSt sAFEsT plACe fOr aNYbODy…** " 'Alice' looked offended as she scoffed.

"You're such a downer, Franks. It's perfectly safe for a kid!" She looked at Henry her face and voice back to that sickly sweetness. "Aren't you even a little bit curious to see what Bendy, Boris and I do for fun?" Henry frowned.

"No! That's not Bendy!" Henry snapped. "Bendy's a drawing, not a real thing! And he's not supposed to be scary! He’s just a drawing!" Alice frowned and leaned over, hands on her hips.

"Looks like somebody doesn't think dreams come true…" Henry backed up, bumping into Wally, who leaned forward, ready to protect the smaller boy as Alice stood straight again. "I better remedy that."

" **YoU stAY aWaY fROm hIM.** " Wally growled deeply. " **I wOn'T lEt yOu hURt hIm…** " Alice started to chuckle, which devolved into laughing, though Henry didn't find anything funny about right now.

"Hurt him? Oh, Wally, you're a fool; I won't hurt him in the slightest… **_BUT I WILL HURT YOU YOU TRAITOROUS SCUM!_ ** "

.

* * *

 

.

Joey Drew paused, looking up his sketch as he noticed Boris and Bendy at his door.

"Yes you two?"

"Um, we got some news boss…" Joey raised an eyebrow.

"About the traitor?" Bendy and Boris looked at each other.

"Not exactly…?"

"There's a little kid here!" Boris said quickly before explaining what happened earlier. Joey furrowed his brows; he only sent the letter to Henry, and he was certain that he was the only one who had entered. "And Miss Alice is going to get him right now. And so far we haven't found any since of the traitor…"

"He's probably hiding, that no good shmuck!" Bendy reasoned before sighing. "But we can't risk him hurting that kid Henry…" Joey raised an eyebrow at the name before chiding himself mentally; there's bound to be other children named Henry.

"The traitor wouldn't harm the child." Joey said firmly. "He wouldn't dare...it wouldn't be like him…He may have abandoned and betrayed us, and be a liar, but he would never hurt a child." Bendy and Boris watched as Joey clenched his fists tightly before taking a deep breath, calming himself down before looking at the two toons. "We should find this child…" Suddenly there was a crash of wooden boards from down the hall.

"Wally!" Joey froze at the sound of the eerily familiar voice.

"What the…" He slowly managed out as Bendy and Boris looked at each other. "That sounded like…"

"We better make sure the kid's ok!" Bendy exclaimed before running down the hall. Boris looked Joey in concern as the man stood shakily.

"Mr. Drew?" The wolf asked slowly.

"I want to make sure the child's ok as well…"

.

* * *

 

.

_ “What’s that?” Henry paled as he followed where Joey was pointing at; two metal leg braces were propped against the wall near his desk. Henry mentally chided himself for forgetting to hide those braces before he let Joey in, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to lie his way out of this. Henry sighed, reversed to the fact that as soon as he told Joey, the other boy would want nothing to do with him, just like Samuel. _

 

_ “Those are my leg braces…” He started, looking at the drawings on the bed, instead of at Joey. “Last year, I got sick...and everyone thought it was just a fever, b-but it got worse…” Henry bit his cheek, trying to keep himself from embarrassing himself any further. “It turns out that I...got polio.” Joey didn’t say anything as Henry forced a chuckle. “Obviously I didn’t die, b-but I’ve got to wear those braces a lot of the time…especially after I do a lot of stuff or have a cold or something...” Henry looked up at Joey, wondering why the other boy was silent before Joey started to chuckle. Henry frowned, he wasn’t expecting that and it wasn’t funny. _

 

_ “I-I’m not laughing at you,” Joey said quickly. “I should’ve realized that it was braces sooner,” Henry raised an eyebrow as Joey pulled up his pant leg, revealing a similar looking brace on his foot, though it was bulkier and only up to where his socks ended on his leg. “I have a brace as well…though I’ve always needed one…” Henry was in stunned silence, trying to process that. “I’m glad that I’m not the only one out there though…” Joey trailed off before looking back at the drawings on Henry’s bed. “Did you give him a name yet?” Henry blinked before shaking his head. _

 

_ “No, not yet...nothing’s really sticking for me…a-and I mean while he’s really bendy and stuff, I don’t that think that would make sense as a name…” _

 

_ “Why not? I think it would fit him.” _

 

_ “R-Really? Thanks Joey!” _

.

* * *

 

.

Henry yelped as he hid under a desk. The toon woman had lunged at Wally, and without missing a beat, Wally had shoved Henry out of the way before getting hit and knocking into desks and letting out a groan of pain. Henry watched in worry and concern as Wally fought the woman, who was starting to look more like those things that found him first, only much more scarier and sharp claws. He looked around for something to help Wally before he brushed up against something. Henry admittedly jumped before looking at what he bumped up against; it was a weathered looking briefcase that had been apparently sitting there a long time as there were some cobwebs that Henry quickly dusted off, feeling a strange sense of deja vu, and opened the briefcase.

"What's in here…" Henry mumbled to himself, hopeful he might be able to find something, unaware more ink was dripping from the pipes as he pulled out the papers. "Huh…? These are drawings of Bendy with my name at the corner…" Henry winced as his head began to throb. He tried to call out for Wally or for help but the headache and sharp pain in his legs were too painful and Henry blacked out, slumping against the wall where he was not covered by the desk.


	6. It Clicks for One of Them

**Impish Animator**

_ A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story _

Chapter 6: It Clicks for One of Them

" **...nRy...kid….plEA...wAke…** " Henry groaned softly as he heard a familiar voice and something wet gently prodding his shoulder. Henry opened his eyes and he heard a sigh of relief. " **thANk GoD.** " Henry tried to sit up but his head pounding shot that idea out. He groaned and Wally sighed softly. " **EAsy tHEre…** "

"My head is pounding…" Henry mumbled before looking at Wally. "What happened with that scary lady?"

" **SHe's cOUnTInG shEEp riGHt nOw.** " Henry raised an eyebrow. " **I kNOCked hEr OUt...aNd tHEn fOUnD yOu UNdEr a dEsk, gETting cOVEred in INK…lUcKIly I wAs abLE to fInD sOmE clEAn shEEts heRe iN the infIRmAry and gOt mOSt oFf bEfOre...unpLeAsANt thINgS hAPPeNed…** " Henry frowned at the mention of an 'infirmary'; he spent enough time in those to last at least a lifetime, if not more.

"Are we close to the exit?" Wally slowly nodded and Henry smiled as he tried again to sit up. This time he made it up without feeling sick as he looked at his ink stained clothes; his mother wasn't going to happy with this mess. Maybe he could tell her he had been working with faulty pens?

" **dOn'T pUSh yOUrsELF tOO hArD…** " Henry looked at Wally with mild annoyance.

"We're so close to leaving, I can handle pushing myself too hard." Wally was quiet for a moment before he snickered, earning Henry's frown. "What's so funny Wally?"

" **iT'S nOt yOU kID, it'S jUSt yOU're aCtInG a LOt lIKe an OLd CoWOrKeR of MINe…** " Wally managed out in between his chuckling. " **HIS nAMe wAs HeNRy tOO…** " Wally frowned for a moment as he began to think aloud. " **THoUGh nOW tHAt i tHINk abOUt it...yOu sOUnd kiNDa lIKe him...aNd it MIGht be my shOdDy mEmoRy, bUT yOu kINda lOOk like...wAIt, WhAT'S yOUr lASt NaME?** "

"Ozell?" Henry asked in confusion, his confusion only increasing as it seemed Wally looked stunned, though the ink covering most of his feature make it difficult to fully tell.

" **HoLy shIT…** "

.

* * *

 

.

"Ok, so we just gotta find that inky jerk and then we'll be able to find the kid!" Bendy said as he and Boris were helping Alice up as Joey finished reciting a spell from his black book, which was giving Alice her 'normal' look back. Alice huffed.

"When I see Franks I'm going to give him the what for! He's a-He's-He's an ungentleman!!" She stated before looking at Joey. "Isn't there something that can fix whatever bug crawled up Franks's britches in that book of your's?" Joey shook his head.

"He would have to be close enough to the machine for me to even manage a transmogrify spell without using the machine. Of course it would be easier to use the machine for it, but considering his thick skull…" Alice puffed her cheeks with a pout as Bendy scratched his chin.

"Maybe we can convince him to let you do your thing?" Bendy asked. "I mean, maybe we can give him a-whatchamacallit, when you bribe somebody?"

"An Incentive?"

"Yeah! That! We give him that and then he's willing to work with us? Or we could make him…"

"You would have to seriously shake him up emotionally-"

"The kid!" Alice exclaimed suddenly, getting the three's looks before she quickly explained herself. "He's really attached to that kid that's here, so maybe if we made him think the kid was in danger-of course we wouldn't hurt the kid-unless he worked with us!" Bendy and Boris looked at each other, gauging the other's reaction as Joey frowned, thinking deeply. "And maybe if we separate him from the kid, the kid will be able to listen to reason and not to that ungentlemanly party pooper." Bendy nodded at the idea.

"Love the brains on you, angel."

"Perhaps…" Joey said before nodding. "Yes, that may work…I will get the pieces for the ritual ready, you three get Wally and the child to the Ink Machine." The toons nodded and the four split up.

.

* * *

 

.

" **I Can'T beLiEvE iT…** " Wally mumbled as he and Henry continued sneaking through the hall.

"Saying it a bunch of times isn't going to magically make you believe it." The boy retorted and Wally looked at him.

" **aREN't yOu eVeN sURpRisEd yOu'RE a 4 yEaR Old?** " Henry looked at Wally.

"I'm 7!" Wally tilted his head and Henry huffed, turning a shade of pink. "Father says I just have to do some catching up…since I got sick. And also, I have no idea what you're going on about." Wally sighed before there was a banging sound down the hall. "What was that?"

" **HENrY, StAY bEHiNd mE** ." Wally said, frowning and moving Henry behind him. Henry furrowed his brows, but listened to the former janitor as there was another banging sound.

"I don't think we should go check it out…" Henry said slowly. "We should just get moving to the exit…" Wally looked at Henry for a moment, seeing the concerned look of the child and hesitated; as much as he liked the idea of leaving this hellhole, he didn't like the idea of leaving Henry as a 7 year old, especially with the fact the kid didn't seem to understand the problem with that. Along with the fact Wally had no idea how this happened, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Wally sighed, he really didn't want to get into another fight so soon after fighting that monster, refusing to abandon the idea that Susie could snap out of or fight back against whatever Joey did to her. Henry gently nudged Wally, snapping him out of his concerns. "Wally? Is something bugging you?" Wally turned his head.

" **KiD...i'M jUst thINKing…** "

"About adult stuff?" Wally turned to Henry again, admittedly confused. "That's what mother tells me. She says there's a lot of things I'll understand when I get older, especially the stuff that father calls some of the church members when he thinks nobody can hear him." Wally snorted before ruffling the boy's hair, his inky hand spiking up the boy's hair like hair gel.

" **YoU'Re oNe IntEResTInG kId, HeNrY…** " The boy beamed.

"It's a talent!" There was another loud banging sound before a familiar voice laughed.

"Alright Boris! Throw the tarp!" Both turned to the sound but it all went dark as a large tarp-like net was thrown over them, plunging the two into the dark. Henry grunted as he tried to pull the cloth up.

"Wally?! Wally where are y-MPFH!" Something covered Henry's mouth and shushed him. Henry felt his blood cold as he felt the cold ink pull him close and a woman's voice in his ear.

" **_Hush hush, child, we'll dance with our friends soon enough~_ ** "


	7. Kidnapping Henry Goes as Well as You Think

**Impish Animator**

_ A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story _

Chapter 7: Kidnapping Henry Goes as Well as You Think

Henry swung his legs wildly, hoping he'd be able to connect with something and get free and find out where Wally was.

"Come on Henry!" His captor, that Alice Angel lady, grumbled. "Stop moving! I'm going to drop you if you don't!"

'Well that's the idea.' Henry thought to himself, as he tried to think of another plan before realizing that Alice still had her hand on his mouth to keep him quiet. Henry mentally shuddered at the idea before furrowing his brows in determination; he had to help Wally. Henry opened his mouth and bit down as hard as he could on the gloved hand.

"OWW!" She shrieked, dropping Henry, who didn't waste a second on running as fast he could to get as far as possible as he heard Boris's voice and that inky thing's voice.

"What happened Miss Alice?"

"He bit me!" Henry rounded a corner before finding a hole in the wall big enough and crawled through, ending up in another room right next to a dresser. Henry panted and sat against the large wooden piece of furniture, rubbing the ink taste out of his mouth, trying to ignore the numbing pain crawling along his legs and the coldness of the ink stained shirt, as he tried to figure out what to do now. He was definitely too small to take on all three of those inky things by himself, and without Wally, he knew he couldn't climb up any of those ink covered stairs or force any doors open. Henry rubbed his eyes, he was all alone in this crazy place and he had no idea how to fix it. Henry coughed softly.

"Maybe Samuel was right in calling me useless…" He mumbled before he gasped, hearing footsteps. Henry covered his mouth and held his breath, hoping whoever wouldn't find him.

"I will never be able to clean the ink off this…" Henry frowned slightly as he wondered why the voice sounded so familiar to him. "Ah well, at least Boris's old body wasn't that heavy, and reusing the ink will definitely help with Franks and his stubbornness to see the perfection of my solution!" Henry made a face as he lowered his hands; that didn't a lick of sense! "Though I'm more worried about the child that Bendy and Boris said they found…" Henry was moderately curious about who this man was, but a tickling sensation at the back of his through shot that curiosity away as Henry covered his mouth, hoping that could keep the coughing fit at bay until the man left. Henry shut his eyes, starting to tremble, terrified of the idea he was getting sick again; he didn't want to be stuck in a hospital bed, stuck away from his family and his few friends and be alone again! He didn't want to deal with having those stupid heated pads or those arm crutches or braces again! He was unaware that the person, Joey Drew, had heard the panicking breathing of Henry and found the boy trembling and shivering. Joey made a sigh before getting to one knee. "Pardon me?" The boy's head shot up in fear and Joey nearly tumbled stepping back, in part because he wasn't expecting that quick of an reaction, and also the boy was scarily similar to the Henry he knew, only as a small child, but Joey knew that couldn’t be possible; Henry was a grown man when he had last saw him. Henry let out a slow sigh of relief when he realized the man in front of him wasn't Boris, Alice, or that inky monster, which quickly led into a coughing fit. Joey waited, unsure of how to respond, before he heard his creations banter coming down the hall.

"So whadda think he's gonna look like after we're done?" Boris asked as he grunted, Joey guessing he was the one carrying Wally.

"I'm hoping a demon~"

"I would hope not, last thing we need is another short troublemaker."

"Hey! I’m the perfect size for a demon!" Joey sighed and shook his head before looking back at Henry, the boy obviously wary of him. Joey made a nervous smile.

"Those three tend to be loud sometimes…" He said slowly. "But they wouldn't harm anyone." Henry frowned and crossed his arms.

"That lady tried to hurt Wally…And kidnap me!" Joey nodded slowly, keeping his reaction neutral as he tried to figure out what to say to convince the boy that his creations were harmless.

"Alice does tend to have a thick head…And for an angel she doesn't quite get the idea of 'patience'." Henry looked confused.

"She's supposed to be an angel?"

"I didn't say she was good at her job." Despite his fear, Henry found himself snickering. "And I'm sure she didn't mean to try and hurt him; see, she and Wally tend to get on each other's nerves so they fight a lot…" Joey paused, seeing if his little lie was going to be caught. Henry furrowed his brows; something about what Joey said didn't seem right, but Henry couldn't pinpoint why; all he knew was that his head was aching again. "A shame that you had to see one of their bickerings, but I can promise you that won't happen again." 'At least once I'm done with the ritual for Wally.' He thought to himself, before looking at Henry. "But what are you doing here behind this dresser?" Henry looked around nervously.

"Umm...well...I was hiding...from that angel lady…" He admitted sheepishly before mumbling something about 'biting her'. Joey chuckled silently, admittedly feeling a sense of bittersweet nostalgia, a few faint memories of him and Henry passing through, before he furrowed his brows, remembering what he needed to do.

"Well, I'll go talk to her and remind her that not everyone is like Wally right away. Would you like to come with me?" Henry said nothing. “Very well.” Joey stood up before turning and quickly exiting the room and heading into the room with the ink machine, where Boris and Bendy were manhandling the tarp Wally was trying to escape from as Alice rubbed her hand. "I'm here...is everything alright?"

"Wally's got a kick!" Bendy whined and as if to prove the point, Bendy got kicked multiple times in the face. “‘’EY! Watch it bub!”

" **lET mE GO DREW!!** " Wally howled and Joey sighed and shook his head.

"Well, we're only trying to help."

" **yOu'RE InsANE DREW!** " Wally yelled at the top of his lungs and Joey pursed his lips.

"I would prefer that you keep it down, Mr. Franks." Joey warned. "I doubt you would want to scar the child; he is rather close by." The toons looked at their creator.

"The kid's nearby?!" Boris exclaimed before sighing in relief. "I'm so glad he's alright," Joey nodded simply.

"Now are you going to work with us, Mr. Franks? Or are you willing to scar a small child?" Joey asked. The struggling continued and Joey sighed in annoyance as Wally called him some ungentlemanly names. "Why did I ever hire that man?" He asked looking at the toons, as if they could give him the answer.

"Didn't you say that your buddy hired him?" Boris asked slowly.

"Well, considering that's the idiot that abandoned and betrayed us, I'm not surprised." Bendy scoffed and Joey pursed his lips before shaking his head.

"Forget about it; we need to start the ritual."

"Wait, shouldn't we find that intruder?" Alice asked and Joey paused, remembering it.

"You're right…"

"I'll go to where the kid is!" Boris said quickly. "I mean, I can keep an eye on him and protect him from that intruder! And I mean he wasn't scared of me!" Joey nodded.

"Excellent idea Boris, he's in the room down the hall. Alice, please help me and Bendy get Wally in here...I think we might have to knock him out at this point...but it will be worth it." Bendy beamed as he knocked the tarp around, knocking Wally out and Alice smiled as Boris quickly left the room.

"Of course it will Joey! Dreams do come true after all~!"


	8. Cracks Begin to Show

**Impish Animator**

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 8: Cracks Begin to Show 

"Henry?" Boris called out as he poked his head into the room Henry was in and gasped; the boy was shivering and trembling something awful in between the dresser and the wall. Boris quickly rushed over to the boy. "Okokokokwhatdoido?" Boris asked frantically as Henry was slipping in and out, barely aware that someone was in front of him. "Should I get-Nonononono I can't interrupt the ritual again...Wait!" Boris slowly started to pick up Henry, the boy groaning softly. "It's ok, Henry, I'mma just get ya to the infirm-"

"No!" Henry struggled to push himself away. "I-I'm n-not-si-" Henry coughed heavily and Boris heart broke again as he tried to calm the boy down as he quickly hurried to the infirmary.

"D-D-Don't worry, Henry! You'll be better in no time!" Boris quickly scrambled through the cabinets, desperate for something to help the child. "Come on, come on...Oh!" Boris grabbed something before gently setting Henry on of the lesser ink stained beds. Henry wimped as he managed to gain a handle on his coughing and looked at Boris warily as the toon wolf handed him a piece of dull gray fabric, which was an old shirt.

"W-What?"

"Well, your shirt looks really wet and it does get kinda drafty in here, so maybe a new-well not really new-shirt, will help you feel less cold?" Henry didn't really looked convinced but sighed and begrudgingly got the oversized shirt on as Boris because thinking aloud and pacing. "I always wondered why that old shirt was in there; I mean Joey just tol-"

"Joey?" Boris looked back at the boy, who was admittedly swimming in the shirt.

"Yeah! You must've met him earlier, cause he told me where you where! He's the owner and the creator!" Henry tilted his head in confusion. "He and his best buddy Henry opened-"

"My name is Henry, and my best friend is named Joey!" Boris blinked in surprise, unsure of what to say or do as Henry rubbed his temple. "And people keep talking about Bendy as if he's alive, but there's no way, he's just a drawing I did! I mean I know Joey had said something about bringing him to life to show everybody, but I don't think he meant that literally." Boris pursed his lips as it clicked for him on who this child was. If Boris could, he would've paled as he realized he was in an awkward situation; Bendy definitely wanted to make the 'traitor' pay for leaving, but Boris didn't want anyone to get hurt. And besides, Henry didn't seem to be like how Joey had described the 'traitor' to be like, which made a thought of doubt regarding what else Joey had lied about cross the wolf's mind. Boris's ears dropped and he looked at the ground, what was he going to do and still be a good boy? "B-Boris?" The wolf perked and looked at the boy, who was looking up at him, concern obvious in his eyes. Boris blinked in surprise.

"Y-You remembered my name? But I barely introduced myself before-"

"I'm really good at paying attention…" Henry scoffed quietly as he looked at his ink stained pants. "And cause I couldn't go out and was stuck by myself while I was sick…" Henry sighed. "It was something to do...pay attention to what people say or did…" Henry shrugged. "But anyways...are you ok?" Boris involuntarily whimpered.

"I don't know Henry...it's just that I don't know what to do...If Bendy realizes you're the 'traitor' Joey talked about, then he might try and hurt you to get back at you leaving the studio." Henry blinked slowly.

"Huh?"

.

* * *

 

.

Alice grunted as she wiped her hands, daintily sitting on the top of the Ink Machine near where she, Joey, and Bendy had shoved the tarp Wally was in. Joey was finishing up the last bits of the ritual that needed to be done, with Bendy following behind him, like an obedient guard dog. Alice watched it and sighed in annoyance; she didn't see why Bendy was so protective-borderline clingy-of Joey. She shook her head and sighed, chiding herself; of course Bendy wanted to keep Joey safe, he was the only one who hadn't left them or abandoned them! He was the one to make sure that Bendy always had a dance partner, Boris to have confirmation that he was in fact a 'good boy', and for her, someone to talk to and let her practice her singing. Admittedly he wasn't that good at playing any of instruments, but he was far better than Sammy, who had a tendency to just hit the keys with his barely formed hands and warble out a 'hymn' for his lord off key. Speaking of which, where was he?

"Joey, Bendy, where's Sammy? I'd figured he'd be here, you know, since he loves his rituals."

"Oh I had him stay put in case the kid came back that way…" Bendy said. "Though I guess it would be pointless, since Boris is with the kid…"

"I can go grab him." Alice offered, about to hop down, but there was a gurgling sound coming from the machine.

" **_Su...SiE…H..eLP mE…_ ** " A frail voice came from the machine, sending chills down Alice's spine. " **_P-P...lEasE…_ ** "

"Bendy!" Alice shrieked. "I thought you knocked out him out!"

"I'll start the ritual!" Joey stated as Bendy rushed over to the machine. "Alice get off of there while I startup the machine." Alice nodded and started to make her way to jump into Bendy's arms before she felt something grab her arm. She screamed and wasted no time trying to rip the inky grip from hers as the machine started to rumble. Bendy climbed up the machine and grabbed Alice, trying to help her out. There was a sickening 'Pop' sound as Alice and Bendy tumbled off the machine, the thing losing it's grip and being dragged further into the machine. Joey calmly continued to recite from his spell as the machine chugged away. Alice and Bendy slowly made their way out, both because they were shaken up, and that they wanted to get away from the howling sounding screams coming from the machine.

"Man, I think Joey should find a guy who works with pipes, case that howling sound doesn't seem to go away." Bendy forced a chuckle as Alice nodded glumly. "Hey, Angelface, what's wrong?" She sighed and shook her head.

"Bendy, something's been bugging me...why would Wally insist on calling me Susie? He knows she's not here right?" Bendy tapped his finger against his chin, thinking carefully about his answer.

"I dunno Al, maybe he's delusional or what's the word for when old people go crazy?"

"Senile?"

"Yeah! That's it! He's probably just a crazy old man!" Bendy patted Alice on the back. "Don't worry your little halo about Wally; Joey will fix him up, right as rain!" Alice smiled, though she felt a nagging feeling at the back of her mind. "Come on, maybe now the kid'll listen to reason!" Alice nodded firmly, shaking that feeling away; she could worry about it later.

"You're right, Bendy, let's go find Henry."

.

* * *

 

.

Henry watched as the cartoon wolf pace back and forth, he himself sitting on the bed trying to ignore the pain in his legs.

“This isn’t good...no sir-e-bob, this is not good…” Boris muttered to himself, looking back at Henry every once and awhile. Henry was beyond confused, so he just sighed.

“Boris...Do you know where Wally is and what that Joey meant by reusing ink?” Boris froze in place as a shock went up his spine; flickers of memories passing through the wolf’s mind. “Boris? Boris!” Henry exclaimed as the wolf fell to his knees, clutching his head, curling up in a ball.  Henry winced as he leaned forward to look at Boris as he tried to keep his weight off his legs. “Boris! What’s wrong?!”

“I-Ink…” Boris managed out, shaking and trembling. “t-t-ThE **InK**.. _ **.dId tHI** **s**_ …?” Henry blinked slowly as Boris’s voice cracked a bit. Henry opened his mouth to ask about that but a sharp pain hit him like a train, making him clutch his head as he face planted to the mattress, blacking out.


	9. Boris is a Good Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry everyone, Boris and Henry will be fine (for the most part)!
> 
> Though I can't firmly say the same about Wally just yet ;)

**Impish Animator**

_ A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story _

Chapter 9: Boris is a Good Boy

"Wow...he actually stayed put…" Bendy mumbled as he and Alice got to where Sammy was, deciding that it would be nice to let the guy know they found the kid and he didn't need to 'stay put'. "Hey, Sammy!"

"M-My Lord!" Was the pathetic mumble from the hunched over 'Prophet'. "I can't move my legs…"

"How long have you been there?" Sammy tried to make a shrugging motion, but just groaned instead, his muscles-or whatever he had-giving the music director payback for being in that position for so long. Bendy sighed and rubbed what would have been the bridge of his nose.

"Sammy, I appreciate listening to me, but ya didn't didn't have to take me so literally…"

"I am sorry my Lord…forgive me…." Was the mumble before the inky humanoid shape leaned over to one side and fell over, still hunched over. Alice snickered as Bendy comically rolled his eyes before he froze like he received a shock.

"Bendy?" Bendy turned to the angel.

"He's here." Alice raised an eyebrow. "The traitor. He's here."

"What?! How-" Bendy stopped her, frowning deeply.

"Doesn't matter. We better find him first." He looked at Sammy. "Lawrence. Once you get up, get the searchers and get upstairs and help us find the traitor." Bendy didn't wait for the pathetic response before starting to make his way upstairs, Alice following behind after looking at former music director for a brief second as a sense of concern and worry; what were they even going to do with the traitor after they caught him?

.

* * *

 

.

_ "Stop treating like a damn child Joey! We have deadlines to make!" _

_ "I can't have you pushing yourself too hard Henry! You've already have too many close calls already, and today is the last straw. You need to take a break!" _

_ "Everyone has been working the same amount of time and just as hard as me! Joey, I can push through! And I had just tripped over the floorboard! I don't need special treatment!" _

_ "That's not what Mark saw." _

_ "You'd rather take that punk's word over mine?! Joey, we're a business, we can't afford to be late! The cinemas won't accept anything that's late!" _

_ "That is not as important as your health! They're fools anyway, we can show them!" _

_ "We can't afford to not get them on time! Joey, those 'fools' sign our paychecks! Fool or not, we have to follow what they want in order to be able to have our work shown!" _

_ "But Henry-" _

_ "Joey, we're not kids anymore, sometimes we have to suck it up and fall in line. I know you're committed but we have to be realistic with what we dream-" _

**_SMACK!_ **

_ "O-Oh God! H-Henry! I-I didn't mean to-" _

.

* * *

 

.

Henry groaned, opening his eyes slowly, his 'adult' memories flickering back, including falling into a large ink pool earlier in the day.

"'I've got something to show you' he says, 'it'll be fine' he says…" He grumbled as he shoved himself up before realizing that he was still in the body of a small child. "What the-How in the-" Henry started to say before he sighed. "Damnit Joey...what the hell were you doing?" A pathetic whimper caught Henry's attention and he turned to see Boris huddled on the floor, curled up at the foot of the bed. Henry decided to slowly get to his feet, gingerly testing his weight to make sure he could walk over and see how he could help the toon wolf. Once Henry felt comfortable enough, he quickly walked over to Boris. "Boris?" He gingerly touched the wolf's shoulder. The wolf weakly turned to face Henry, Henry made sure to stay put and to stay calm, for the sake of the wolf.

"H-Henry?" The wolf whimpered.

"Easy buddy...it's just me…" Henry said, gently petting the wolf. "Admittedly smaller somehow...but that's not important right now." Boris whimpered softly.

"I-I'm not supposed to here...Joey did something...t-to someone...to make me…" Henry nodded slowly. "I-I can't remember w-who a-a-an-I-I must be h-horr-"

"Boris, it's going to be ok." Henry said quickly, cutting off Boris as he helped the wolf sit up. "You're not bad, or horrible or anything like that," Part of Henry realized how ridiculous this seemed; here he was, somehow the size of his seven year old self talking to a living breathing cartoon wolf he used to animate, but he decided not to question it at the moment, Boris needed to be calmed down, the wolf definitely acting exactly how he did in the shorts.

"A-Are you sure?" Henry nodded.

"Of course Boris, you've always been a good boy. In fact," Henry paused, wondering if he should say it, but the hopeful curious look in Boris's eyes made Henry chuckle. "I happen to know a few who say you're their favorite." Boris's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his tail began wagging quickly enough to be just a blur.

"Really?" Henry nodded, chuckling. "They're children that live down the road from me; Edith and her brother Theodore…" Boris nodded firmly, obviously making a mental note.

"Can I meet them soon?" Henry hesitated momentarily as he weighed the consequences of his answer before nodding.

"If we get out of here...and fix whatever this is," He gestured to himself. "Then I would gladly introduce you to the two, and the other kids." Boris yipped in excitement before gasping in horror. Henry turned slowly and paled; seeing the monstrous mockery of his childhood creation, dripping ink and glaring at him with uncharacteristic hatred and anger.

" **YoU'rE NoT GoINg ANyWHERe** **_TrAIToR_ ** **.** "


	10. New Character

**Impish Animator**

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 10: New Character

Joey frowned as he pursed his lips. He just finished the spell and was now doing the most important yet frustrating part; waiting on the machine to finish. It was like a child waiting for Christmas presents; eager excitement to see what gift have been brought to him. The machine made a slurping sound, snapping Joey out of his thoughts as a large ink blot came of the machine with a comical thunk sound. Joey held his breath as the ink bubbled for a moment before a figure slowly rose from the ink; similar to Alice, it took a roughly humanoid shape, just a bit shorter than Wally had been, though considering that conversation of mass still applied to his creations, Joey figured it was because of the wings the figure sprouted. Joey smirked to himself as the ink figure took a slightly more recognizable form; Raquel Ram, one of the lesser side characters in the Bendy shorts, the ram-appearing angel was 'guardian' for Alice, trying to keep Bendy from pranking her for most of his appearances, though the cheeky devil always came out on top, the prank always happening to Raquel, with Alice squeaking by. Not to say that was Raquel's only purpose; it kept the fools from cancelling or banning the true star from cinemas.

"Hmm…?" Raquel managed out, wiping the last bit of dripping ink from his bangs and adjusting his halo.

"Raquel." Joey said firmly, getting the attention of the angel. "How are you feeling?"

"Admittedly a bit confused sir…" The angel admitted before shaking his head. "But that is not important right now; where is Ms. Angel?"

"She is helping Boris and Bendy with a child that found his way in here." Raquel blinked in surprise.

"A child? Sir, I better go assist her; I do not trust that demon to watch the time, let alone a child!" The angel quickly scurried out of the room, not even noticing Joey's malicious smirk, proud of what he had done.

.

* * *

 

.

"B-Bendy!" Boris managed out as Bendy was growling, ready to pounce at Henry, who wasn't daring to move at all. "Please don't! Henry's not a traitor!" Bendy snapped his attention to Boris who flinched and whimpered, obviously terrified. "I-I just don't think he is…"

"I know he's the traitor…" Bendy hissed and Henry frowned; this wasn't right.

"So what, you're going to kill me?" Henry said and Henry resisted the urge to back down when Bendy's beady eyes snapped towards him. "Is this what Joey wanted to show me? I knew he was hiding something in that letter, I just figured I was going to get hit again, but hey, murder by a cartoon will make a swell obituary." Henry's voice was dripping sarcasm as the murder in Bendy's eyes, turned to confusion.

"W-What do you mean hit? J-Joey wouldn't hurt anyone!" Bendy exclaimed angrily before looking at Boris as if the wolf would give support. "Tell 'im he's wrong Boris! Joey wouldn't hurt anyone! He's not a traitor like him!" He pointed to Henry and Boris looked at the ground, unwilling to look at his friend and break the devil's heart. "Boris! Boris, come on, this isn't funny! Tell him that he's wrong about Joey! Boris!" Henry did feel sorry for Bendy as the demon was on the verge of tears, unwilling to believe that Joey would hurt anyone.

"Good grief Bendy!" Henry paled as they heard Alice pant as she finally caught up to Bendy. "Give a girl a warning before running off so fast! I'm not good at running in heels!" She took a deep breath before straightening up, noticing Henry. "Oh! The kid's here! But where's the traitor?" Bendy pointed at Henry accusingly and the angel blinked slowly before looking at Bendy. "I just said it was the kid…"

"He's the traitor." Bendy spat. "And he's somehow convinced Boris that Joey's a liar!"

"Bendy, I-" Boris started before Alice scoffed and gently knocked Bendy upside the head.

"Bendy, you're too wound up!" She scolded. "I'm all for catching that traitor, but claiming it's this poor little boy," Henry kept his reaction straight, partially offended by the angel. "It's just not right." Bendy's face fell before sighing in annoyance.

"Alice. It's him; he's the traitor." Bendy looked at Henry, narrowing his eyes. "The ink must've done this to him."

"Ok, Bendy, now you're just being ridiculous. There's no way the ink did this, that's impossible." Bendy looked ready to punt Alice but just let out a low grumble. "Now come off it, you're gonna scare him and we still need him to see reason! Who knows what things Wally lied about!" Henry paled, remembering that he still had no idea where the janitor was.

"W-Where is he?" Henry managed out before there was a gruff grunt.

"That is how he is, Ms. Angel." Alice turned and beamed, while Bendy didn't take his gaze off of Henry. "He'll scare anything that has common sense and consider it 'fun'."

"Oh Raquel, I'm glad that you're here!" Alice cooed before gesturing to Henry. "This is...uh...oh phooey, I forgot his name…" She turned to Henry. "What was your name again?" Henry blinked slowly, not recognizing the character next to Alice as Boris made a pathetic whimper, feeling guilty on seeing what had happened to Wally.

"Who…is he? I don't remember ever drawing that guy."

.

* * *

.

_"I wanted to see Boris in that short!" The 7 year old girl whined as she, her younger brother, and Henry walked out of the theater. Her brother nodded in agreement as Henry chuckled._

_"Well, I'm sure Boris will be in the next one." He said. "He's Bendy's pal after all."_

_"He better!" The girl crosse her arms before looking at Henry. "Mr. Ozell, I've got a question."_

_"And I might have an answer." Henry said as he led the kids back to their home, having taken the kids to the movies to give their parents a brief break._

_"You remember the last short Boris was in, right?" Henry nodded simply, remembering the short; it definitely wasn't the best Bendy short, but it wasn't half bad, though Henry mentally critiqued the workmanship. "Do you know why Boris had that big old white thing on his chest?" Henry stopped as he remembered that part; admittedly he had left the theater that day a bit unnerved by the short and the occult symbolism. He shuddered slightly before shaking his head._

_"I'm not entirely sure, Eddy…" He said slowly. "I am not sure what that whole short was about to be honest…"_

_"But Boris is going to be ok, right?" The boy asked and Henry smiled softly._

_"I'm sure he will, Teddy. After all, Bendy wouldn't let anyone hurt his friends." The two children nodded slowly and Henry smiled softly, trying to ignore the uneasy feeling in his stomach. "Now let's go see if your parents are finished decorating-" The children didn't let Henry finish before they raced each other to their house, Henry chuckling in response and quicken up his pace. "Slow down you two, I'm not as fast as I used to be!"_


	11. Things Aren't Going As Well As Joey Hoped

**Impish Animator**

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 11: Things Aren't Going As Well As Joey Hoped 

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked and Henry paled as he tried to think of a way out of his accidental slip of the tongue. "I mean I know the boys bicker about who has the spotlight-"

"Hey!" Both the ram and demon exclaimed, looking at the angel, who continued.

"But people do know about them, so what do you mean?"

"A-Alice…" Boris managed out nervously. "Please, now's really not the time…" Henry saw that there was an opening for him to push past the two angels and run out of the room. He took a step forward but a jolt of pain caused a startled gasp as Henry collapsed to the ground, Henry wincing as his face connected with the floorboard. "Henry!" Boris exclaimed as the wolf scrambled over to the child, the two angels rushing over. Bendy just frowned, unsure of what just happened. "Henry! WHat happened?"

"M-My legs…" Henry managed out weakly.

"Are you injured?" Raquel asked. Henry was quiet before sighing, though Bendy noted it sounded of defeat.

"No...there's still times my legs hurt…" Henry mumbled, earning several confused looks as the boy propped his arms under his head looking away from everyone. "And it gets too cold and I get too out of breath to do anything..."

"Then you should rest." Raquel said sternly, though he felt a strange nagging at the back of his mind as Henry scoffed.

"If I just rested every time I was in pain, then I would've done nothing in my life, I would've just let it control me…" Henry was quiet for a moment before he chuckled softly. "That was always the difference between me and Joey…"

"What do you mean?" Alice said, furrowing her brows. Bendy had gotten slightly closer, trying to not to look interested. Henry turned his head and looked at the toons, figuring that he had nothing else to do.

"Joey never understood why I was willing to push myself too hard…I just didn't want to let what happened to me to be the only thing people knew about me…And I could never understand why Joey didn't get it, why it seem like he was just willing to let it control him…I mean he didn't sit around all day, but I remember that if it involved a lot of walking, running, or anything like that, he didn't like to do that, and even if he came along, he'd always be making sure I was ok-it was borderline smothering..." He sighed softly. "We both we're stubborn I guess...I was just too stubborn to think that Joey would never change…" Henry sighed.

"Henry…" Boris whimpered. "I'm so sorry…"

"Nothing to be sorry about." Henry muttered.

"B-But it isn't fair!" Bendy snapped, surprising everyone by the outburst. "You shouldn't been hurt! Y-You shouldn't have gotten sick! And Y-You shouldn't have felt like that about Joey! You shouldn't have left! Y-You s-shouldn't f-feel a-aband-" Bendy couldn't finish as his monstrous form trembled and spilt ink everywhere, in near-hysterics. Henry just sighed softly, like he was talking to a child in tears, not a cartoon demon.

"Life isn't fair, sometimes Bendy, but it doesn't always mean that the world is awful."

.

* * *

 

.

Joey made his way back to his office, his footsteps making an eerie echo, the only sound distracting him from his thoughts.

"Even if the ink caused this, Bendy would've sensed Henry despite the size…" Joey muttered to himself. "I mean, I was the one to summon Bendy, but he was Henry's creation from the beginning, so he would be more in tune with Henry and his emotional state then me…" Joey sighed as he shook his head. "But at least I managed to keep Wally from being a nuisance...though I have a feeling that it's going to be a short victory; he was fighting back that last bit…" Joey sighed as he moved past Sammy and some of the searchers, the Music Director being particular about being the one to lead, despite his rather slow speed. Joey merely rolled his eyes, muttering something about Sammy being a 'prima donna' as he rounded the corner before stopping and he pursed his lips; in front of him was a large ink spillage preventing him from simply getting to his office. "I swear I had this hallway cleaned last time…" Joey rubbed his temples as he gauged the distance and whether or not it would be worth to ruin his pants to just wade through the ink. Joey made a slightly dramatic sigh before deciding that he could live with mildly inky pants and started his way back to the office.

.

* * *

 

.

_"Henry dear...what's the matter?" Henry's mother asked gently, getting a shrug._

_"I think Joey's trying to take your job." Henry's mother made a surprised snort._

_"What are you talking about dear?" Henry sighed and sat across from his mother._

_"He keeps asking me if I'm ok, or if I need anything, or questioning if I'm up to do something, and it's weirding me out! But I don't want to not hang out with him, cause he's fun when he's not being a worrywort!" Henry vented, his mother nodding along._

_"Have you told him that you're fine?" Henry nodded. "Ah, I see…well, perhaps Joey isn't quite used to not having to worry about someone." Henry looked at her in confusion and she chuckled softly. "I suppose Joey didn't bring it up to you then,"_

_"Bring what up?" Henry's mother leaned closer to her son._

_"You know how Joey is often at the principal's office?" Henry nodded. "Well, his father is principal," Henry's jaw drop as he realized that's why the principal and Joey shared the same last name and why the other kids avoided Joey, yet never made fun of his friend. His mother resisted laughing at her son's expression and continued. "Oh Henry, you take after your father awfully well, but back to Joey; you see, it's just been him and his father."_

_"What happen to Joey's mother?" Henry's mother shrugged._

_"No one really knows. She just up and left, and no one seen her since…" She trailed off, gauging the reaction before continuing. "So most, if not all the time, Joey's had to fend for himself...so maybe he's treating you like that because it's what he's used to." Henry's mother gently patted Henry's hand. "I'm sure Joey will ease up on it eventually. He just needs some time and patience." Henry nodded slowly._

_"I am good at waiting…" His mother smiled and pecked him on the forehead._

_"And that's not a bad thing sweetheart. Especially when there's something in the kitchen waiting for you." Henry's eyes lit up, the glumness gone in a flash at the thought of his mother's baking, his mother happy she could help him feel slightly better, though she made a mental note to bring up her son's concerns to Joey's father next time she saw the man._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I actually have no idea how to end this story, so if you guys have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it.


	12. The Keys

**Impish Animator**

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 12: The Keys

"Quit squirming! I got to scrub that last bit!" Alice demanded as she tried rubbing Henry's face, the boy now at least in an upright sitting position.

"I don't need you to scru-Ah! You're pushing too-" Henry didn't get to finish as Alice shoved the handkerchief in his face, trying to clean off the ink from his face. Boris winced slightly as Henry leaned back into him, trying to get away from Alice's idea of 'helping' before the angel huffed and backed up. "My nose doesn't bend that way!" Henry grumbled as he gingerly rubbed his nose.

"I'm just helping." Alice stated as she pocketed the handkerchief before turning to Raquel. "How's Bendy?" The ram looked at her, obviously out of his league in helping the demon that was huddled over in the corner. Alice huffed in annoyance and made her way over to Bendy. "Bendy?"

"G-Go away." Alice frowned before huffing and plopping herself on the demon's lap, turning him slightly. "A-Alice!"

"Ms. Angel…" Raquel mumbled, rubbing his muzzle, like he was rubbing the bridge of his nose. Henry looked at Boris who chuckled.

"She's kinda stubborn like that…Henry. But that's just her way of showing she cares…"

"Right…" Henry said, not convinced as he gingerly rubbed his legs, as if hoping that would magically fix his legs. "What was Joey doing here…?"

"He's making his dreams come true." Alice remarked and Henry.

"Can you be a bit more specific?" Alice blinked slowly, as if this was the first time someone had even asked that question before, concerning Henry.

"Uhm...well…?"

.

* * *

.

_"Joey! Come on, the water's fine!" The red headed boy frowned as he looked at his friend, already in the lake's water._

_"Henry, I don't think it's a good idea." His friend looked at him, obviously not buying his friend's warning._

_"Why?" Joey looked behind him, as if he could get an adult to help him out but the adults were either sunbathing or looking too busy for Joey to feel comfortable bothering. "Joey, come on, you can tell why you don't like the water?" Joey turned and saw his friend coming out of the water. Joey sighed and looked at the ground in embarrassment._

_"I-I don't know how to swim." Joey mumbled, ready to hear the shock and laughter of Henry before the boy ditched him for someone normal._

_"Oh, ok. Do you want me to teach you Joey?" Joey looked up at Henry, wondering if he was hearing things. But the look on Henry's face was genuine as the boy took his friend's hand and started leading him to the water. "I mean I'm not the greatest swimmer, but I do know my stuff!" Henry continued on, but Joey wasn't paying attention, flabbergasted; he was always surprised by Henry and the way he was just nice. Joey couldn't figure out why Henry acted like that, he had nothing to gain from staying and hanging out with him, and yet Henry still stayed put, claiming that they were 'friends'. Joey did like hanging out with him, admittedly, even if Henry tended to be strangely both optimistic and realistic at the same time, admittedly reminding Joey of one of the residents in that 'Wonderland' in the book he was reading. Joey looked at Henry who was excitedly explaining how he swam and smiled slightly, remembering the words of the cat from the book about people who were 'mad'; the best people often are just that._

.

* * *

.

"Ms. Angel…" Raquel said, but he was ignored as Alice had hopped off Bendy and was dragging the demon towards the door. "I don't believe that-"

"Nonsense Raquel!" Alice interjected. "Who better to explain that Joey himself? It'll be easy to find him!"

"B-But the child-"

"You and Boris will keep an eye on him while me and Bendy get Joey." Henry and Boris both hid a snort at the ram's face before the toon tried to come up with a reason for Alice not to do that. "We'll be back~" The angel dragged the demon out, ignoring the demon's ranting. Raquel sighed as Boris smiled.

"Alice's just being herself, Mr. Raquel." Boris said.

"I know that, I'm just not wanting to deal with the consequences of her hanging out with that mischief maker!" Raquel huffed.

"Look," Henry said, getting both of their attentions. "As much as we can argue about Alice and her lack of survival instincts, I'd like to figure out how to turn back to normal and not have to go through growing up again." The toons looked at each other.

"Maybe Joey's office might have something, but it's always locked when he's not in it." Boris said. Henry checked his pockets before pulling out Wally's keys, admittedly surprised he still had them. "Oh! Those are the janitor's keys! Do you think he might have a key to Joey's office?" Henry nodded.

"I'm positive; Joey's a bit of a neat freak, and Wally was one of the few guys that 'performed to his standard' of cleanliness, even if he didn't Wally's attitude." Boris nodded slowly as Raquel blinked slowly, as if someone smacked him in between the eyes, but Boris nor Henry caught that as Boris looked at Henry.

"Do you think you'll be able to walk?" The wolf asked as he slowly helped Henry to a standing position. Henry winced slightly, but nodded.

"I should be; his office is down the left hallway, right?" Boris nodded and Henry leaned heavily on the wolf. "I should be ok then...I'll just lean on you if you're ok with that Boris," Boris nodded firmly.

"Of course Henry!" The wolf turned to Raquel. "Ready Mr. Raquel?" The angel blinked in surprised, slightly startled, before nodding.

"Right, right...lead the way…"


	13. A Good Day for Sammy At Least

**Impish Animator**

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 13: A Good Day for Sammy At Least

"My Lord, I am here as you requested!" Sammy cried out, trying to not show how out of breath he was, and also ignoring the searchers bubbling snide remarks, unimpressed with him.

"We're grabbing Joey to have him explain his plans to the kid!" Alice's voice sang from the room with the Ink Machine. Sammy trudged over and noted that Joey wasn't in this room. "Course if we could find him."

"I saw him heading to his office." Sammy noted and Alice beamed, while Bendy looked less than impressed.

"Lovely."

"Bendy," Alice scolded. "You know how he is. Oh! And wadda know, here is he!" The other two turned to see Joey, an almost defeated look on his face, coming into the room, carrying papers. "Joey? What's wrong?" Joey smiled weakly.

"It's nothing Alice…" He turned to Bendy. "Bendy, can you recite the ritual spell after I complete Sammy's ritual?" The demon looked only slightly confused before nodding. Joey turned to Sammy. "Sammy,"

"Yes?" Sammy was trying to hide the excitement in his voice and failing miserably.

"Get in the machine."

.

* * *

.

_"Henry?"_

_"Hmm?" Henry mumbled, just starting to fall asleep._

_"Do you think we can find a place where we don't have to worry about people not being fair?" Henry stifled a groan, feeling like this was the 100th time this conversation was happening, as he managed to prop himself up from his sleeping bag._

_"Joey, life's not fair, but we've got to choose our battles." He said. "I mean, what happened during the-"_

_"Henry, they tossed your sketchbook in the lake! And they shoved me into lake, expecting me to drown!" Joey exclaimed in a hushed whispered. "Sure the counselors punished them, but that wasn't enough!"_

_"Joey, the counselors will probably tell their parents. And besides, you saw their faces when you showed them that you can swim," Henry smiled a bit. Joey smiled slightly. "And besides, I can always get another sketchbook, and one of the counselors, you know, the tall redhead? He says that it'll be dry in a day or two, especially since he's drying it in that oven thing." Henry yawned. "Besides, adults can be unfair too."_

_"It shouldn't be that way…" Henry looked at Joey, who seemed thinking deeply._

_"Then how do suggest we can it, Joey?" Henry mumbled as he turned over to try and go back to sleep. "The world's awfully big…"_

_"Maybe we don't have to change the world…" Joey whispered as he spotted one of Henry's drawings that had been torn out prior to the thievery; seeing the dancing demon in an outside setting with a few other cartoony-looking animals. Joey smiled more to himself as Henry had fallen asleep, a plan forming in the awake one's mind. "Maybe we could go to another one…"_

_._

* * *

.

"Joey…" Bendy whispered as Joey finished the ritual and they were now waiting for Sammy to come out, Alice and the Searchers off to find the kid and the other two. "Are you sure?" Joey looked at Bendy, his smile a soft bittersweet one. "I mean, I can do the one where you remember you-"

"Bendy." The much older man said slowly, getting to the demon's eye level, placing a hand on the devil's shoulders. "I know that you are concerned, but this will be for the best." Joey sighed. "I no longer want to be burden with my regrets of my past, but never forget Bendy, I do not ever regret bringing you here to be with me." Bendy smiled softly as he was pulled into a somber hug. "Soon we'll able to have the fun we wanted."

"What about the trait-er-Henry?" Joey sighed softly, reminding Bendy of a deflating balloon.

"I don't know what we could do about that hasn't been tried yet…" Joey admitted. "But he's much more stubborn that Wally or anyone else…" Bendy frowned slightly before making a cheeky grin.

"Well, I gotcha covered Joey! You don't worry about it, you focus and making sure everything is perfect for you and I'll handle it!" Joey smiled.

"Thank you Bendy."


	14. The Ram's Outta Here

** Impish Animator **

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 14: The Ram's Outta Here

It all happened way too fast for Boris, one moment they're walking to Joey's office, the next Henry had fallen into an ink puddle and hadn't yet come back up to the surface. Boris had tried reaching in, but Raquel was stopping him.

"But Henry-"

"You'll fall in too, and I'm not going to explain to the demon what happen-Boris!" Boris ignored the angelic ram and reached into the pool of ink and moved his arm around, hoping and praying that he wasn't too late. Raquel made an overdramatic sigh as Boris felt something strong grip his hand. Without even hesitating, Boris started to pull the thing out. "What in the sunny days?! Who is that?!" Boris again ignored the angel as he continued to pull before the no-longer-child-sized Henry out from the puddle, the two gasping and panting heavily. Raquel blinked slowly before starting to back up, conflicting thoughts and feelings starting to overwhelm the ram. He quickly turned on his heel and ran back to the last place he had saw Joey. Joey would know how to handle this situation.

Right?

.

* * *

.

"Alice, please!" The slightly shorter dog-like toon whined as he tried shooing Alice's hands away from his ears. "I am still getting use to this blessing!" Alice pouted and a light blush emitted from the other toon before he mumbled. "Just please be gentle…" Alice squealed and continued to pet the dog's ears. Bendy rolled his eyes and Joey looked at him.

"Are you jealous of Sammy?" Bendy huffed.

"Pfft, please, as if I would be jealous of him! I just don't like Al being all touchy feely." Joey nodded slowly. "And you sure that Sammy remembering is going to be ok?"

"He only remembers bits and pieces of when the studio was running." Joey explained. "And admittedly I didn't have clue on fleshing out that character's backstory; budget cuts." Bendy nodded slowly. "And besides, you still have your scapegoat." Bendy mused on that for a moment as Joey looked at his machine; it was a shame that Henry couldn't see for himself what the machine could do, but then again, Henry had his own view of how things were in the world and often Joey had to remind Henry that the world was unfair and that it was essentially the world vs them. But Henry would always retort back with something positive that they were doing, be it the cartoons, the weather, heck he'd even use the excuse that his legs weren't hurting as much, just to be positive. If Henry wasn't so endearing as a friend, Joey might've been annoyed, but a part of Joey knew that wasn't true; Henry was and had been his only friend and Joey was terrified that Henry would one day betray him and leave him alone. Joey let out a shaky sigh, it was no longer time for those bitter memories; it was time to get the ritual ready and go into the machine and-

"Mr. Drew!" Everyone turned as Raquel rushed in, panting and his wings fluttering slightly. "T-There's a-Boris pulled out of-Tried telling him to not-"

"Whoa, slow down, Raq," Bendy said as Alice quickly walked over to the ram. "Deep breath, then tell us what's got your feathers in a ruff." Raquel shot a dirty look at Bendy before taking a deep breath and sighing.

"There's an older man that Boris had pulled from the ink that the child fell into….." Joey's face fell as Bendy growled deeply.

"Well, well, well….we better go introduce ourselves and get some answers from him."


	15. Long Way to Go

**Impish Animator**

_A Bendy and the Ink Machine Story_

Chapter 15: Long Way to Go

"H-Henry?!" Joey managed out as the group found Boris and said man in the hallway, Boris still catching his breath, and Henry appearing to be unmoving. Bendy frowned in concern; something didn't see right, but before he could make a move, Joey rushed over to Henry. "Henry! Please! Wake up!"

"Uh…Mr. Drew?" Alice started to say, voicing the toons' confusion as Joey shook Henry's shoulders, the normally composed man acting very different then how the toons knew he acted like. "Bendy, what's going on?"

"I don't know…" Bendy whispered back.

"Henry, please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Joey repeated quietly. "I should've listen to you...I should've trusted you...I-I-I didn't want to lose you. You were my only friend…I was only trying to protect you...and I still screwed up…I'm so sorry..." Joey whimpered. Bendy furrowed his brows as he looked from Joey to the still-unresponsive Henry, mulling over his thoughts. "This is all my fault...Henry…" Raquel scrunched up his nose and made a huff sound.

"Well whadda expect; you treated him more like a kid then a grown man, especially after that punch you gave him." Raquel said, his voice taking on Wally's accent. Raquel blinked in surprise as everyone looked at him. "W-What was that?!" Joey didn't even bat an eyelash as his focus went back to his friend.

"You sounded like Wally for a moment…" Sammy noted. "Which admittedly is strange as from what I recall, Wally was the complete opposite of an angel…"

"When you left, I was scared of being alone…" Joey mumbled quietly, more talking to himself. "The Ink Machine...it seemed to be my answer...but…"

"You went over your head?" Joey looked up at Bendy and nodded guilty.

"At first it seemed like it was the perfect solution…" Joey chuckled bitterly. "But then the pipes kept bursting...and then people got ill...I got desperate to make sure I didn't lose anyone else…." Joey looked up at the toons. "I am so sorry for what I've done...I completely understand if you want to kill me or make me suffer...but please promise that you'll get Henry's body out of here…." The toons looked at each other, as if having a silent conversation about this strangely worded bombshell.

"Or you know, wait till I'm actually dead." Everyone snapped their heads to Henry, who was coughing and slowly making his way up to a sitting position. He hacked a few times and wiped his face.

"Henry?!" Joey exclaimed, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing, tears welling up in his eyes. "Y-You're alive?!"

"Barely." Henry admitted. "I want a better explanation of what happened and what's going on, but after we get out of here and back to my house." Everyone looked at him in surprise and Henry raised an eyebrow. "You think I'm just going to let you guys mope around here? I'm not heartless." Henry grunted as he tried to stand up before looking at Joey sheepishly. "A little help?" Joey smiled softly.

"Of course buddy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is the ending, for what I was able to wrangle from the plot bunny.
> 
> Thank you all for reading this and I hope you enjoy!


End file.
